EA SPORTS FC 26 will get a total revamp in Ultimate Team for a more dynamic experience with exclusive rewards
The popular game mode introduces live events, significant improvements to Rivals and Champions, and gameplay tweaks to deliver a fairer experience
In our most recent coverage from Vancouver, Canada, where we learned all the details of EA SPORTS FC 26, EA revealed important new features for Ultimate Team, promising an evolution that responds directly to community feedback. The innovations focus on enriching the competition, encouraging squad diversity and ensuring that every match counts.
Live events
One of the most notable additions are live events, designed to offer new ways to play and test the true depth of your team. This category includes the return of tournaments and the introduction of Gauntlets.
Tournaments are high-stakes knockout competitions where only the winners advance. Up to four rounds are played online, always pitting you against an opponent at the same stage, ensuring balanced and exciting matches. Prizes will be exclusive and, once you win a tournament, you will not be able to play it again, thus maintaining excitement and opportunity for all. The new interface will show at a glance the available and upcoming tournaments, their rewards and squad requirements, allowing players to plan ahead.
On the other hand, Gauntlets offer a mode based on series of up to five matches. The particularity of this format is that each match requires a different squad, thus encouraging the use of players beyond the starting eleven. Unlike tournaments, losing a match does not mean elimination, but the more wins you accumulate, the better the rewards. This mode is designed to give playing time to those squads that players enjoy creating.
In addition, linked events will be introduced, a series of special challenges that are unlocked by meeting specific objectives, such as reaching the Elite division in Rivals or winning a ranking event. This adds an additional layer of prestige and purpose to your in-game achievements.
Revolutionizing Rivals and Champions
The weekly Rivals and Champions competitions will also receive a major overhaul. In Rivals, three key changes are implemented:
Rivals Bounties: in-match objectives that grant rewards for performing specific actions, such as scoring the first goal or keeping a clean sheet. These bounties vary to break up the monotony of the grind, ensuring that the time spent is always worthwhile, even if you lose the match.
Winning streak bonuses: now, streaks will not only accelerate your progress, but also double your reward points. In addition, your opponents will know if you are on a streak, which can make every match a more intense battle.
Limited checkpoints: to avoid the feeling of being “stuck” in a division, checkpoints are introduced that break after one or two consecutive defeats, allowing relegation when appropriate. This measure works as a “parachute” to return to a fairer competitive level and a win rate close to 50%.
As for Champions, the aim is to increase its prestige with a visual update and more reward levels, making every victory count even more. The big new feature is the elimination of Playoffs for qualification: now, access is gained directly from Rivals by playing in higher divisions, starting from Division 5.
FC26 Challengers is also introduced, a new second-tier competition that will run in parallel to Champions. It will allow more players to experience the excitement of weekend leagues, although the best rewards will remain exclusive to Champions. In addition, the total number of matches required will be reduced.
Improvements in gameplay and community
Improvements are not limited to game modes. EA SPORTS FC 26 incorporates key gameplay tweaks focused on response, consistency, control, and skill. This includes less bouncing after tackles or saves, more responsive dribbling and a greater emphasis on manual defending, plus a new competitive camera designed especially for Ultimate Team.
In response to the community, it will finally be possible to evolve goalkeepers, and repeatable evolutions will allow multiple players to be upgraded or multiple upgrades to be applied to a single item. Cosmetic evolutions will now accumulate without overwriting, and those that increase stats will be able to maintain the player’s original appearance.
Finally, one of the community’s biggest frustrations is addressed: disconnections. EA SPORTS FC 26 will ensure that players who suffer an unexpected disconnection - either due to game closure or opponent connection problems - will receive the win. Players who repeatedly drop out of games will begin to receive penalties in their matchmaking, ensuring a fairer experience for all.
All of these new features aim to consolidate Ultimate Team in EA SPORTS FC 26 this September 19 as a deeper, more rewarding and accessible game mode, where squad building strategy and individual skill are more important than ever.
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